Quick History on Spring Football & USFL-XFL Merger

Before we dive into the UFL, let’s look at the history of the XFL and USFL.

Vince McMahon, co-founder of WWE, wanted to start a new football league to fill the open NBC television spots. The XFL was considered a joint venture between the WWE (50%) and NBC (50%). The XFL was built on fun and unique gridiron rules - two forward passes on a single down and no PATs. Another key feature was adding nicknames to jerseys.

The first XFL launch was in February 2001. An 8-team league was established and the first game got 14 million viewers. But during the season, ratings worsened and viewership declined. The league filed for bankruptcy 7 months later and McMahon lost $70 million.

In 2018, McMahon founded the new XFL (kept the same name). The vision was to strategically place the teams in bigger media markets. But in 2020, the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (RedBird Capital Partners), purchased the XFL for $15 million in August 2020. In 2022, the XFL cancelled their season after talks of collaborating with the Canadian Football League. There was a 2023 season, but the XFL lost $60 million ($140 million in expenses and $80 million in revenue).

The original United States Football League (USFL) started in 1983. It was founded by David Dixon, a successful New Orleans businessman. It was a 12-team league that only lasted from 1983-85. Notable players included Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly, Herschel Walker, and Reggie White to name a few. A disappointing TV contract and teams consistently losing money led to its shutdown.

The second stint of the USFL launched in 2022 and was classified as a joint venture between Fox Sports and Brian Woods. Active roster players were getting paid $45k per year ($15k for practice squad players). During the first year, the league played in Birmingham, Alabama. Fox Sports took sole ownership in 2023.

In March 2024, the USFL and the XFL announced they were merging to form the United Football League (UFL). The UFL is considered the premier spring football platform. Ownership is split between Fox Sports (50%) and group made up of Johnson, Garcia, and Cardinale (50%).

Projected revenue for UFL’s first season is $100 million. Some are predicting profitability for the spring football league in two years.

Under Armour is the apparel partner of the UFL, covering player jerseys and gear for fans. Michael Strahan’s lifestyle company, MSX, will also be involved as the off-field apparel partner (unique collection of clothing tailored to the UFL community).

Player contracts are set at $5,500 per week over 10 weeks ($55k) and $850 per week for camp players ($8.5k). Each UFL team will have a roster of 75 players for the 2024 season. Here’s a breakdown of potential bonuses:

• UFL Player of the Week: $1,000

• All-UFL Team: $2,500

• UFL Player of the Year: $5,000

• UFL MVP: $7,500

Last season, the XFL averaged 751k viewers per game compared to the USFL’s 627k. It will be interesting to see how the merger impacts overall viewership. What will the league do differently to achieve good TV ratings?

The league took initiative and launched the official UFL mobile app on March 19. They obviously want to keep fans engaged and send out real time updates during the UFL season. Games will also be aired on SiriusXM radio.

The UFL also brought in Donald De La Haye, an extremely popular YouTuber known as Deestroying. He signed with the San Antonio Brahmas as the starting kicker and will definitely boost ticket sales and viewership.

To create a robust spring football league, the UFL cut 3 teams from the XFL and 2 teams from the USFL. Here’s what the conferences will look like:

USFL Conference - Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, and Michigan Panthers.

XFL Conference - Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, and St. Louis Battlehawks.

The UFL is providing decent pay and an excellent opportunity for players a chance to get back to the NFL. The inaugural season of the United Football League (UFL) kicks off Saturday, March 30, 2024. Stay tuned for an exciting year of spring football.